How do I Set these Blocks into a Quilt?

I now have 16 completed flower blocks.  I know I want to set them into an uneven nine-patch block like this:

The dark gray parts will be the flower blocks offset with light gray squares.  Now the question was what to do with the blocks.

So I started playing around in EQ7.  Here's what I came up with:

This first option has a simple dark gray sashing with light corner stones.

This second option changes the four inner sashing strips to light gray.  It's an interesting effect.

This option puts the blocks on point.

This option puts the blocks on point as well, but has a center light gray square.

I took this last image to a class I attend and asked my friends what they thought.  As I was laying it out for them to see, I inadvertently laid the blocks as shown below and decided I liked it even better!

I love this setting!

Suzy

Geometrip Inspiration

Adult coloring is a current trend.  6 of the top 20 books on Amazon are coloring books!  My boys love to have coloring pages printed off the internet.  One day they asked for a quilt design and this popped up: 

It is from www.geometrip.com which makes free coloring designs.  They are gorgeous and very fun to color.  What struck me about this particular design is that it is kind of like a Giant Dahlia like this one:

HOWEVER, the image above makes me consider using larger pieces and subdividing each piece into something interesting.  It's an idea that I like and hopefully someday I will have time to explore!

Check out www.geometrip.com for other amazing inspirations!

Suzy

The Final Flowers

Here are the last two flower blocks I created for this quilt.  Next I have to think about how to put them together...

I had a little trouble deciding what fabric to use for the big dot on this block.  I couldn't find a dark teal that worked nor an orange, so I settled on blue.  I am happy with the results.

Threads I used:

• Outer Orange Petals - DMC 50 Weight Cotton Machine Embroidery Thread - nice and flat to keep it subtle
• Inner Dark Teal Petals - InvisaFil 100 weight polyester Thread by WonderFil Threads - I had a really hard time finding a color for this fabric since it's so dark.  This worked well and was thin so the orange dots still stand out.  I didn't want to use orange because I was afraid it would take away from the darkness of the fabric.
• Center Teal Petal - Sulky 40 weight rayon - pretty and shiny.  It was hard to find a thread to match this too.
• Center Orange Petal - Bottom Line by Superior Threads - Nice and thin
• Large Blue Dot - Bottom Line by Superior Threads
• Small Orange Dot - Deco-Bob by WonderFil Threads - very shiny which I wanted for this dot

I love the purple and orange fabric in this block.  It was fun choosing fabrics to go with it.  It's an interesting fabric because it incorporates both warm and cool purple which is rare.

Threads I used:

• Outer Orange Petals - Madeira 40 weight Rayon - nice and shiny and easy to work with.
• Inner Purple and Orange Petals - Deco-Bob by WonderFil Threads - At first I worried this thread was too light in color, but I like the final effect.
• Center Pinky-Purple Petal - Mettler 50/3 Cotton Thread - I wanted to keep this flat so it didn't stand out too much.
• Center Light Orange Petal - Bottom Line by Superior Threads
• Big Purple Dot - Glide by Fil-Tec - gotta love the color "raven" as my go to "blurple" thread
• Small Orange Dot - Madeira 40 weight Rayon 

Now time to design the next part!

Suzy

Inspiration to Pattern #2: Curly Butterfly

I have recently purchased my first smartphone.  I must admit I love having a camera with me all the time, though it is huge.  I saw this window cling on a car the other day and snapped a picture.  I must admit I thought the owner would catch me at it and wonder what in the world I was doing, but it turned out fine.  I really like the dots that help to make the wings of this dragonfly.

So I started drawing.  I decided right away to make a butterfly instead of a dragonfly.  This is the body that I started with.  I decided it was traditional and boring and erased it completely.

Then I tried drawing one with a curl for a head and a elongated curl for a body.  Then I drew in some curls and dots for the winds.  It's okay, but I didn't love it.  So I erased the wings and tried again.

Next I tried long S shapes and curls to make the upper and lower wings.  It's okay, but I don't like the lower wing.  

So I erased the lower wing and thought about making it a dragonfly, but in the end I still wanted a butterfly.

I used the window and traced the left wing so it was exactly the same as the right wing.  I decided that the perfect symmetry really didn't suit this more organic butterfly.

Now I felt I knew what it needed.  Similar wings, but not symmetrical.  Here is the final design:

I think the antennae will have to be either quilted or embroidered.  I like that it turned out whimsical and kind of modern.  I am thinking I will either quilt the design and then paint it in or applique it.  Fun for later!

Suzy

Applying What I've Learned

In the course of writing this blog I have learned a lot about thread selection for blanket-stitch applique.  I have learned what to use when I want something to recede and what to use when I want something to stand out.

Receding: thin or flat (not shiny)
Use a thread that is flat and not shiny.  I would recommend cotton for this.  You can also use something really skinny so it leaves a lighter line line InvisaFil 100 weight polyester thread by WonderFil Threads or Bottom Line 60 weight polyester thread by Superior Threads.  Both of these threads are thin.

Standing Out: off in color, shiny
Use a thread that is slightly off in color (lighter makes it pop more than darker) OR use a thread that is an accent color in the fabric instead of the main color.  It also really makes things pop when you use a really shiny thread.  There are many, many threads that have great shine.  I like Fufu Threads, Deco-Bob by WonderFil Threads, Glide by Fil-Tec, and just about any rayon thread out there.

Here is a block that I did after gaining this knowledge.  I used it to make my choices.

The first pieces I put on when building this block are the outer petals and the accent piece (top) on the middle petal.  In this case, they were both yellow.  I knew that I wanted the top piece to have a thread that didn't stand out, so I used Gutermann polyester thread because it doesn't have a lot of shine.  The other yellow pieces that had more print I knew I wanted to use the darker shade of yellow so the thread stood out more.  I also chose a shiny thread to make them pop.  I used Madeira 40 weight Rayon Thread.

Then I added the dark blue piece with the yellow and orange dots.  If I'd used a yellow or orange thread they would've popped those colors.  However, I really wanted the piece to be blue.  If it had been orange the orange thread would've run into the orange petals and created a line connecting them which I didn't want to see.  If I'd used yellow it would've bled into the top yellow accent piece which again wasn't what I wanted.  So I settled on blue.  I used Fufu Thread which has a nice sheen to it and was really, really dark blue.

Then I added the orange petals.  I knew I wanted them to stand out.  There is a slight variation in color to the batik so I went with the darker of the orange and used Deco-Bob by WonderFil threads which has a nice sheen to it.  I am happy with the results because the slightly darker color of the thread pops out which is what I wanted it to do.

Then I added the two dots.  I stitched the red dot in Deco-Bob by WonderFil threads because it was shiny and slightly off in color which makes it stand out.  The dot was a challenge because it was a pale peachy-orange color which is hard to find.  I used a Glide by Fil-Tec thread that I had because it was the only color that complemented the fabric at all.

Now you know why I chose the threads I did!  Happy appliqueing!

Suzy

Coloring "Quilts" with my Boys

The other day I took my older son to school assessments so his younger brother and I sat around and colored while we waited.  The school provides coloring pages for siblings and crayons.  Knowing my little one, I took along a pack of markers which are his preferred coloring tool.  Of the five pictures available, my son picked the geometric one.  It was my choice too.

These top two pictures were colored by my four year old.  He had a great time coloring them piece by piece.  His favorite colors are pink and purple.  When he finished he wanted to do another in yellow and orange.  I was impressed with his desire to keep them symmetrical.

Here is my older sons's picture.  He had fun making the circles into 3 different colors.  I enjoyed his creativity.  He is seven.

Here is mine.  I remember one time Leah Day was coloring one of the pages in her son's coloring book with quilt patterns.  So I had to try it.  I colored all the shapes and then went back and filled them with background fill patterns in the same color.  I love the result.

Suzy

How to Choose Thread Color

How do I choose thread color?  Good Question.

There are a few things to consider.  First, what colors are in the fabric?  For the inner purple petals below there are two colors: blue and purple.  As you can see I took out a few spools and unwound a little bit on top of the fabric.  This gives me an idea what they will look like.  In the upper photo, the two purples I choose were too warm so I tried two cooler purples in the bottom photo.  I decided I didn't want to use the light blue thread because I wanted the purple to stand out instead of the blue on that piece.  I ended up using the bottom thread in the bottom picture which is an Art Studio Colors by Superior Threads.  

When looking at the final block you can tell that this purple is a shade lighter and a bit warmer than the actual fabric.  Finding a nice dark purple that is blue in tone is a challenge.  My current favorite for this purpose is Glide Thread by Fil-Tec in a color called "Raven."  It works well most of the time.  In fact, it is the exact thread I used for the little dot at the bottom.  However, I knew I didn't want to use the exact same thread for both fabrics.  I couldn't go darker for the purple and blue fabric, so I went a little lighter.  It definitely shows up more.  I have learned this golden rule of thread choice through applique AND machine quilting:

                    If you don't have an EXACT match, use something slightly DARKER.  It will hide 
                    better than something slightly LIGHTER....the LIGHTER will make it stand out. 

This is what I wanted for this blue and purple fabric.  I wanted it to pop and the lighter thread definitely does that well.

Threads I Used:

• Outer Light Blue Petals - Mettler Silk Finish 50/3 Cotton - This thread is a 50 weight thread, but it is made of three plys (strands) of thread rather than 2.  It is surprisingly thick and a bit challenging to put through a size 80 microtex needle.
• Inner Purple Petals - Art Studio Colors by Superior Threads -  This thread shines and works easily in my machine.
• Inner Light Blue Petal - Sulky Metallic on top, Gutermann Poly in the bobbin -  I used a size 80 microtex needle and didn't put the top metallic thread through the last thread guide right above the needle.  I used a top tension of 1.5.  Usually I get a nasty mess when I try to use metallic thread, but was pleasantly surprised when it worked out beautifully.  I tested it first with a straight stitch and then with a blanket stitch. 
• Inner Turqouise Petal - Deco-Bob by WonderFil Threads - shiny and great to use.
• Dark Blue Dot - Fufu Thread - great texture and tons of shine.
• Small Purple Dot - Glide Thread by Fil-Tec - great and easy to use.  Shiny.

Suzy